23 November 2007
An irate Warwick resident who took his phone dispute with BT to viral video site YouTube has won an apology from the company's chairman.
Patrick Askins had been locked in a billing dispute with his home phone provider after receiving an unexpected £90 charge from them earlier this year.
BT said that the extra billing represented charges from calls made in 2006 which had not been previously added due to a "systems error".
In the video, addressed to chairman Sir Christopher Bland, the 60-year-old bemoaned the "automated maze" which he and other customers must face when making a complaint.
He also said that a previous written request for an explanation of the billing had not been replied to - and that he had spent £200 in calls to BT customer services since.
Following widespread media coverage of the protest earlier this week, Mr Askins has now won a full cash refund and a letter of apology from BT chairman Sir Christopher Bland - to whom the online video was addressed.
He commented: "Never in a million years did I think it would escalate like it did, but I am not one to back down.
"What it proves is that BT and other companies do not respond to written communication any more."
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